Kelly Lichter will not seek re-election to the Collier County School Board in November.

Lichter, who has served on the board since 2014, said she was dismayed by the “hatred and vitriol” she said she has been subjected to as a board member.

Lichter has frequently engaged in shouting matches during board meetings, prompting negative feedback from education advocates online, at board meetings and in the Naples Daily News opinion and Letters to the Editor sections.

Recently, Lichter received criticism for sending emails to other board members accusing them of collusion and lying.

Lichter is the founder and president of charter school Mason Classical Academy, works as a real estate agent and is in the early stages of starting a charter school consulting and management company. She has two children, ages 8 and 9.

Lichter said she worried about her 9-year-old daughter who has become “very aware of the constant hatred that’s spewed about her mom.”

“She begged me to not run again,” Lichter said. “It’s not fair to her.”

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Kelly Lichter celebrated her Collier School Board District 1 victory on August 26, 2014.

Lichter said she’s approached like-minded candidates to run in her place but all have been dissuaded by the difficulties Lichter and board member Erika Donalds have faced. The two have often stood together in pushing a conservative, pro-charter platform and are frequently at odds with the board majority.

“Nobody wants to do this after seeing what we’ve gone through,” Lichter said.

Just one candidate — Jory Westberry — has filed papers to run to replace Lichter.

Had she known how tough it was going to be, Lichter said, she never would have run.

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Jory Westberry has filed her candidacy for District 1 School Board, a seat currently held by Kelly Lichter, in the upcoming election.(Photo: Luke Franke/Naples Daily News)

Responding to encouragement from a group of conservative supporters in 2013, Lichter decided to run for District 1. She said she genuinely thought she'd be able to make a difference.

But now, Lichter said, the support has waned; she said she thinks her followers feel defeated.

Lichter found it difficult to name her accomplishments from her time on the board but later identified her successful push that allowed charter schools to use the school district's surplus school buses.

“Being in the minority for four years, you can only do so much,” she said.

Lichter said she was happy she and Donalds had brought a pro-charter voice to the board. She said their presence has also raised awareness about school-related issues.

“Nobody paid attention to the School Board in this town before we ran and got elected,” she said.

Donalds also recently announced she would not be running for re-election. Lichter said her decision to not run was not influenced by Donalds'.

Lichter’s biggest losses, she said, included failing to secure “appropriate” instructional materials and losing a vote that would have established protections for whistleblowers.

School Board Chairman Roy Terry said he appreciated Lichter’s service and commended her for bringing charter schools to the district.

Terry, who is seen by many as a reasonable mediator on a divided board, has lost his temper with Lichter on at least two occasions. During those incidents, Lichter repeatedly interrupted other board members and raised her voice.

Terry declined to comment on those events.

“We just need to move forward and finish this year on a positive note,” he said.